Fabric Giveaway!!

You have got to check out the following blog.

http://pumpkinpatchprimitivequiltshoppe.blogspot.com/2009/10/its-happy-halloween-giveaway.html

This women is giving away a fat quarter bundle (27 FQs!!) of Red Rooster's Pumpkins & Spice Fabrics by Whimsicals. There is a fat quarter of every fabric in the line, except the panel. WOW!!! Be sure to check out the slide show of the fabric from this line, and her FUN playlist!

I love sunflowers, pumpkins and almost anything primitive in fabric. I've always like sunflowers, but just recently become intrigued with pumpkins and general primitives.

I promise to post more soon!

Mistake or Design Change...You Decide

Well, I got a new iron and was happy as a clam as I finished adding the first border to my Freeze Frame quilts and finished piecing the 128 blocks for a quilt that I started about 3 years ago. I decided to hang the Freeze Frames on the design wall and have Jack and Lynn take a look at it and tell me how great they looked, etc. when it hit me! I had made a HUGE mistake.

Remember the other day when I said I couldn't decide which background should be black or white so I decided to make 2 quilts? Well.....on both quilts there is only one background color - all white or all black! I like the way they look, but they aren't the way they were supposed to be. I've decided to call this a design change instead of take them apart and admit to a mistake, but you do know what this means don't you? Now I have to make 2 more quilts following the original design because I still want to see how it looks with the black and white backgrounds in the same quilt!

I'll post pictures in the next day or so.

Stash, Freeze Frame, Iron and Other Ramblings

So, Judy L. asked people to show her their stash. After thinking about it, I decided that I should do it. I've been working really hard at using my stash and I've been saying for months that I am going to organize it, so maybe having these pictures plastered on the internet will be my catalyst. I do have some fabric on a shelf upstairs in the spare bedroom, but I didn't take a picture of it. I thought this was bad enough. I do have things in bins and what you see on the table is stuff that I have been working on. There are two sides to this table. My husband made it using Judy Martin's set up that she had posted on her website as a guide. He adjusted some things but I love the table! The whole things measures about 60" x 60" and half of it is a pressing table while the other half is set up for cutting. It is WONDERFUL! I took pictures from both sides. I have to be honest here, don't I? The first picture is from the cutting side and there are fabric bins, "works in progress" and other supplies like fusible webbing, stabilizers, etc. here. See, I'm trying to be organized!To the left of the table are bags of clothing that will be used in 4 memory quilts. I moved them to the table recently so I can start cutting them. I need to get started on that ASAP as they should be done before Christmas. Fortunately they are only going to be twin-size quilts so they shouldn't take too long.

I don't know if you can see the iron on the right side of the table, but that is the iron that gave out this evening as I was getting ready to piece the first border strips for Freeze Frame. If you look closely you can see the mini craft iron that I used to finish pressing the center and after that I decided to wait until I get a new iron to finish this. I've not had much luck with irons lately. The Bernina Steam Generator that I had and loved quit working about 3-4 weeks ago and even though I love it, I can't justify spending close to $200 getting it fixed. It was sent in for repairs a couple of years ago and I'm not very happy that it didn't last longer. I'm going to get a cheap iron tomorrow and start researching "good" irons. Anyone have suggestions or recommendations?

Speaking of Judy L.'s Freeze Frame. I really liked the picture and decided that I just HAD to make this quilt. I new I wanted to make it in brights but I couldn't decided if I wanted to use a white or black background so I decided to do both. I'm sure I'll find a use for two quilts, right? All of the fabric is from my stash except 3 bright fabrics. If you look closely, you will notice that everything is identical except that where there is white in the quilt on the right, it is black on the left quilt, and vice versa. I'm still surprised at how different they look. I can't wait to finish these, but of course, I need an iron first! This past week I was reminded as to why we should not buy fabric and put it away without looking at it. The fabric below was purchased a very long time ago (probably 4-5 years) with the intention to be used as the backing for a particular quilt. Well, I finally finished the quilt and while I was getting ready to layer it I discovered a flaw that ran the entire width of the fabric, all 108" of it! Of course it would have shown on the quilt for which it was intended so I had to get new backing and find another use for this fabric. You'll be happy to know that it is now contend as the backing on my Up North quilt (Thimbleberries) that my friend Rachel just finished quilting for me.(Check out her blog on my side bar-Sew Behind-she has finished 2 of my quilts and I love them both!) I really am in the mood to get things done. I sent 4 quilts to Rachel (she put out a plea to help raise money so her dog could have some medical care. How could I not help her, AND get quilts done?), and I have others that I am doing on my own. They are much smaller and they are much easier for me to do in my machine. As a matter of fact, on my stash picture, my Pineapple Blossom (Bonnie Hunter's pattern) is one the table. I'm half done quilting it, but decided to take a break and add the borders to the Freeze Frame. So much for that!

Something is Finally Done!

Well, I know it's been over a month but I haven't been doing much quilt-related stuff and I didn't want to post anything without a quilt project! Below is the completed raffle quilt top for my sister Paula's school. The proceeds from this quilt will benefit my Breast Cancer 3-Day fund. I decided last year that since so many students bought tickets they needed their own quilt. I sure hope that winner likes it. I know I really do!

Ok, what have I been doing if not quilting? Besides fighting the desire to sleep so much (medicine-related) I've been working quite a bit (I'm still working in all three clubs), trying to train for the walk in Dallas, freezing and canning (corn, beets, salsa, etc.) and filling embroidery orders as they come up. I have been piecing a little bit, but not as much as I would like. Hopefully, finishing this quilt will get me going strong again and I'll soon be posting LOTS of finished projects.

Nikki, Zach and Quinn arrived Saturday evening and as usual, it has been wonderful having them here. I am always amazed at how much Quinn changes from visit to visit. Here she is picking out a book to read. She does love her books!

Nikki's aunt gave her a potty chair for Quinn and it looks like there won't be any problems getting her to sit on it - as long as she has a book! I'm not sure when Nikki plans on starting to train Quinn, but since she's 17 months old, I'm guessing it won't be too long. I'm glad it's her and not me! Actually, I think Quinn is just thrilled to have a chair that's her size, and the fact that she can sit on hit with a bare butt just make it great!

Do You Want to Hear Something Funny?

My daughter Lynn signed me up for facebook!

Can you believe it? I hardly keep up with this blog, let alone facebook. I've confirmed some friends and read a couple of messages, and I've even written on a couple of peoples' walls, but that is about it. I haven't taken any time to figure out how the whole thing works and I don't know when that will happen. Nikki and family will be here this weekend, so I guess that I'm going to get a crash course in facebook. Now, as we know, that does not guarantee that I will actually post anything or even read the messages. I will try, but I'm not promising anything.

There has been lots happening lately and even though they will sound like excuses, they are the reasons I haven't posted in AGES!

I've had a few medical issues to deal with, including a brief stay in the hospital and taking some medicine that has just thrown me for a loop. I'm hoping that we are on the right track now and things will settle down so I can sew, quilt and post (both on this blog and on facebook!).

This past weekend was the Cleveland Breast Cancer 3-Day event and I had medical permission to attend the event and work on the lunch crew as planned. I know that I will need permission to walk in Dallas in November, but that's a while away and I know that I will be ok for it!

Anyway, the event was great - very emotional, tiring, and exciting all at the same time. I met some amazing people during my four days (crew has to be there one day early for training) and in that short time, I feel like we've been friends forever. When I talk to people who have dealt with cancer and other issues and they have such a wonderful outlook on life, it puts things in perspective for me. I think that the timing for this event and my medical issues was perfect. I needed to be reminded of what is really important in life and that there is always someone out there who has more to deal with than me! (I often forget that it really ISN"T all about me.)

I saw husband and wife teams walking together, crewing together, as well as wives walking and husbands working on the crews. (We had 3 men on our crew who's wives walked.) It was touching to see the men's concern for their wives and the relief when they saw them approach the lunch stop. They were able to take a break from working to enjoy a little time with their wives and help them regain the strength and desire to stand up and walk the final 10 miles for the day. I saw pride, concern and love as the wives came around the bend and entered the "tunnel of support" to welcome them back to camp each night. I was touched and glad that Jack and Lynn were with me.

I look forward to Dallas and walking with Jack and his cousin Pattie who is a breast cancer survivor. I know that this will be a challenge, but I know I can do it again! I'll keep you posted on how my training and fundraising is going!

Thanks for "listening!"

It's Official....

I completely missed the month of June! I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden it's July and I didn't make a single post in June. I've been busy, but I sometimes feel like nothing gets done. I'll give a quick review of the past month and an update on what's going on now.

I've been working quite a bit lately and there's been changes going on at work. The Norwalk club has been sold and the owners are in negotiations for the Huron club. I'm still working in all three clubs, but because of vacations, etc. I've been working a lot. That's going to continue through July, even though I will be gone for the last weekend of the month. That's the Cleveland 3-Day in which Jack, Lynn and I will be working the lunch crew. We have to report for Crew Day on Thursday and the walk is Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

We had our annual fundraiser garage sale the last weekend in June, so I spent many days in early June picking up donations, pricing items, making signs, advertising, etc. We were pressed for time to get ready because the week before the sale was our annual sisters' weekend (also known as the estrogen weekend) that stretches into an entire week when our families join us at Burr Oak. As usual, we had a wonderful time and it was very relaxing and enjoyable. I was able to get a bit of walking in and Jack and I went canoeing one afternoon. We had a wonderful time and it was SOOOO needed.

I've been busy with various fundraising efforts (we have to raise $2300 each), including the garage sale and a pampered chef party. The party was well-received and we will get 15% of the total sales donated to our fund (that should be about $170).

Jack and I visited David and Rachel in Chicago last weekend and had a good time. It rained most of the day Saturday, but it was a light rain so we went to the Botanical Gardens and walked around for a couple of hours. It was BEAUTIFUL! There were fireworks Friday and Saturday and we were ablt to enjoy about four different set of them at the same time each night.

This weekend is the Huron County Relay for Life and Lynn and I are part of the Funky Monkey Team. This is the first time that either of us has been part of Relay for Life, but we are looking forward to it.

Nikki and Quinn spend 10 days with us in the middle of June. That was great! Zach was able to join them here for a long weekend, so that was really nice. I feel kind of bad though because I was busy with work, the garage sale, and the pampered chef party. I wish I had more time to just sit and play with Quinn. She is getting so big and it is amazing how much she changes in such a short time. I've got to make plans to get to Cincy soon!

I have lots of quilting work to get done. I'm still working on two T-shirt quilts and three memory quilts. Hopefully I can get busy on them next week. I'm also working on a wallhanging that is made out of ribbons won at horse shows. It is challenging, but that's what I like about it. Perhaps I'll have pictures for the next post.

Oh, something quite different did happen today. While I was putting some things away in the basement, I noticed a snake on the stairs. I HATE snakes!!! Jack came in, picked it up and happened to mention that it had a triangular shaped head, which I believe means that it is poisonous. Now how the heck did it get into my basement! Anyway, I have gone back to the basement, but I sure do look around the entire time I am there. Did I mention that I HATE snakes? I'm sure that I'll have some interesting dreams the next couple of days.

Okay, speaking of dreams, it's time to get ready for bed and hope that tomorrow is productive...........

Free, At Last and Pictures

As some of you know, I've been wearing a halter heart monitor for the last 3 weeks. Now I must tell you that a "halter heart monitor" sounds much sexier than it really is. Imagine having 3 electrodes stuck to you, each with its own wire being fed into a sensor that connects to a black lanyard which hangs around your neck. As if that isn't sexy enough for you, you must keep the cell phone monitor within 10 feet of the sensor at all times and respond to its multitude of beeping which indicates that 1) you have somehow disconnected one or all of the electrodes, 2) you are out of range of the cell phone and a signal cannot be found, 3) the battery of the sensor or cell phone is low, 4) you're having an "episode" and you must respond to a questionnaire within 60 seconds, 5) you are back in range of the cell phone and 6) there were a couple of beeps that I'm just not sure what they meant.

Anyway, the monitor finally came off today. The doctor told me that they have recorded enough data, even though I didn't have one of my "major episodes" which was the reason for wearing the darn thing anyway! All that remains to remind me of the monitor are the red, swollen sore spots where the electrodes stuck to my skin. It sure will be nice to sleep tonight and not feel as if I'm being strangled.

All joking aside, I'm amazed at technology! I was pretty shocked when I got my first phone call from the monitoring company at 2:12AM the first night I wore the thing wanting to know how I felt because I was having an episode. I didn't even feel it! Amazing!!!

Backing up a little here, yesterday was a mixture of busy work and relaxation. I made all of the cookie dough for my orders and my nephew's graduation party, and I made a breakfast casserole and put it in the freezer for this coming weekend's festivities at my sister's house. I worked outside a little bit, but not as much as I had wanted. All of the mulch that we had is spread and I'll get more on my way home from work Wednesday, if it's not raining. I watched the Indians' baseball game and was going to go to turn it off when they were down 10-0, but I decided to stick with it while I was doing some hand sewing. Boy was I glad I did! The Indians scored 7 in the bottom of the 9th and won the game. That was fun to watch.

In regards to quilting, I have finally finished my pink and brown blocks and will post pictures tomorrow or Thursday. I worked on the guild retreat quilt and should be able to finish that soon. I also spent a little bit of time getting everything ready to finish up the raffle quilt. I probably won't have time to work on that until Thursday because I work from 5:30AM - 2:00PM and then have errands after that.

As promised, I finally have some pictures to add. I have to warn you, it's a good thing I can sew because I sure would starve it I had to earn my living by taking pictures. Hey, maybe I could market that as a weight loss product - take crappy pictures, try to sell them and buy your meals with the money you get! I've got to get busy on my new business plan. :-)

Anyway, here are two of the hanging baskets we bought Saturday. I love all of the color and different flowers. Do you see the sprayer in the second picture? That was filled with vinegar and dish soap and used as a "green" weed killer for the new garden area. Within 2 hours the grass had started to die and I was ready to start spading the area. Can you see the brown grass in the last picture? (I feel like an elementary teacher. Do you see Spot run?)

This last picture is of the area that has become the dumping spot for plants over the last couple of years. If I didn't know where something was going, I planted it here for "a couple of days." Well, a couple of days has turned into a couple of years, but it's finally getting done. I have some iris and lilies that I need to get out of there, but that will have to wait until they are done blooming, and I want to transplant a few more of the black eyed susans. After that, this area will be a clean slate!
Well, I'm excited. Three posts in four days is pretty good for me. I'll try to keep it up, but I certainly won't make any promises. I do have some guild work that I should have done before I blogged, but this was going to be more fun. I guess that I'll have to do that when I get home tomorrow before I do anything else!